by Stuart Weir
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Stewart McSweyn, Ollie Hoare, 2021Gateshead DL, photo by Diamond League AG
One of the brightest stars in the global sport is Jakob Ingebrigtsen. In Norway, Jakob and his family are superstars.
In a cold-weather 1,500m, Jakob showed that he was from Norway, and can handle any type of weather. This was the second piece by Stuart Weir on Gateshead DL!
We understand that a media member asked about the cold weather and how it affected Jakob, who noted that he was from Norway, and knew what cold weather really was!
Jakob winning again
Jakob Ingebrigsten had a good day winning 1500m in 3:36.27. When the pacemaker, Erik Sowinski, dropped out, Jakob took control of the race and never looked like losing.
Gateshead Men’s 1,500m, photo by Diamond League AG
Jakob’s comment after the race was: “This is normal weather back in the west coast of Norway. It’s really tricky to run fast in these conditions and it turned out to be a tactical race. We needed to race to prepare ourselves for Tokyo.
“Today really didn’t have anything to do with the times, racing in these conditions, because all of a sudden if you get a sudden gust of wind then everything is ruined. I feel that spectators are eager to see some athletics live and they’re really cheering us which helps push us further”.
Jakub Ingebrigtsen, 2021 Gateshead DL presser 2, photo by Stuart Weir
At the pre-event press conference, Jakob was asked, if he had to lose, would he rather lose to a Cheruiyot or an Ingebrigtsen. With a little reflection, he replied: “10/10 Ingebrigtsen – after all, we are brothers”. It wasn’t a real dilemma in Gateshead as the only brother in action, Henrik, was in the 5000m.
At the press conference, Jakob made an interesting but unclear statement about his hopes for Tokyo, saying that he was open to doubling up at the Olympics provided he did not feel that it would diminish his chances in one event.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen takes the 1,500m in Gateshead DL, photo by Diamond League AG
An intriguing sub-plot was that there were 4 Australians in the field chasing three Olympic places. The results, which should have provided some clarity for the selectors, were:
2 Oliver Hoare 3:36.58
3 Stewart McSweyn 3:37.32
5 Matthew Ramsden 3:37.98
9 Ryan Gregson 3:45.36
Hoare commented: “Having four Australians in the Diamond League 1500m just shows you where we’re at right now and we should be extremely proud. I haven’t had that head-to-head competition at all so it was a great indication to run with people as talented as that; it was a real treat and I’m really thankful”.
It is hard not to watch every race at the moment with an eye on Tokyo.
